A Day At The Convention
by Cassandra Ann 15
Summary: The New 52 Club has just opened in Gotham City and Rachel is anxious to be going and meeting her date at the busy bar. Not only that, everyone is dressed in costumes and aren't easily recognizable. This wouldn't be such a problem if there hadn't been a jailbreak in Arkham Asylum just earlier that night...
1. Rachel Greens

Loud music could be heard almost two miles from the New 52 club that had just opened it's shimmering gold doors to the public that night. The sun was just creating streaks of gold in the late afternoon sky as it dipped its head beneath the tall skyscrapers littering the city Gotham. Rachel again glanced down at the phone in her lap, trying to will it to ring as the taxi zoomed around another corner, heading straight towards the loud music and glimmering doors. She had heard great things about New 52, the red silk-like carpets that felt as though angels had created them, beautiful carvings that were etched into almost every surface, drinks that made the most fabulous (and most expensive) red wine taste like piss.

But even with all the awesome and exciting accommodations of New 52, Rachel found herself dreading her arrival. There were many reasons why this was, but she concluded to telling Clarity only four. That many should let her go home without too many complaints from her former bestie. Plugging in her earphones to the panda that adorned her phone, she quickly went through the list in her head so she was prepared for Clarity's 20 million reasons why she should still come in. '_Clare, just hear me out. First of all, it…is...a...frickin'...comic...con and I don't like comic cons. Too many nerds in one place. *holds up finger to shut up Clarity* Second of all, since you are making me go to this comic con to meet God-Knows-Who, I had to fucking dress up as Harley Quinn, who is one of the crazies running around our town and blowing people and shit up! *again holds up pointer finger* Third of all, dressing up as Harley Quinn would be totally fine if I WASN'T GOING ON A BLIND DATE, which you set up and didn't tell me about until yesterday. Seriously, I may extremely dislike comics, but at least I am up to date on my Joker/Harley drama. And finally, my dear Clarity, we live in __**Gotham**__. That is reason enough for me not going. It just isn't safe!'_

By the time Rachel had finished her little head rant, the taxi driver had pulled to a stop on the side of the road about a mile away from New 52. Looking up from her spotify playlists, Rachel frowned and, while relocking her eyes on her phone, asked the driver, "Why did you stop?"

"The streets are packed. Thares nu way threw all the kars parked on the road. Unless we turn around and go the back way, this is as far as we go," the taxi driver replied in his thick Irish accent as Rachel looked out the window to see the gleaming lights of the club in the distance. Reaching into his glove compartment and pulling out a cigarette, the driver turned around in his seat and gave her a stern look. "Now we've traveled about 6 miles. That'll be 15 dollars from you to me," he hissed as he flicked his lighter and lite his cigarette, keeping his narrow eyes on her the whole time. Rachel reached for the purse that sat at her feet, her newly dyed hair swinging lazily from side to side as she pulled out all sorts of crap that shouldn't even be in there in the first place.

Grasping something hard and edgy, Rachel ripped it out of her bag, toppling the driver's hat to the floor in the process, and gruffly handed it to the driver as he puffed in some of his cigarette fumes. "I hope you take credit cards. That's all I have… Oh. And this too." She dropped a gold banded ring into the driver's palm as he swiped the card with a little machine attached to his phone.

One look at the ring and the driver exclaimed, "I hope this wasn't your husband's cause he ain't getting it back now!"

He closed his palm around the ring as Rachel reached for the card in his other hand, trying to explain that, "I don't and I think won't ever have a…"

The cab driver jerked his hand out of her reach and looked at her with a look of fear in his face. "This ain't His, right? He didn't give it to you?" the driver asked softly as he gave the card back to Rachel, who was beginning to feel a bit uncomfortable in the small cab.

"I don't know what your talking about, but it's just mine. I bought the ring for a stupid party maybe two years ago. I just never took it out of my bag," Rachel replied slowly as reached for the door handle, keeping her eyes on the driver so he wouldn't suspect she was trying to leave. The driver's face melted into a look of relief as he flicked his cigarette out the window.

"Oh? Well, I'll keep the ring then. And, ah," He licked his lips as he looked at her, "Since you're not tied down by your… um… 'Puddin'... no more, maybe we could-" Rachel didn't get to hear the end of his sentence before she yanked the door handle and threw herself out the car door. Yelling a quick "Thank you!" behind her, Rachel slammed the door and briskly began walking towards Jessie J's Bang Bang, pulling the already skin tight red and blue jacket closer around her body.

The chilled air and loud music made Rachel walk faster, her white and black sketcher heels clicking down the sidewalk in time with the music. As she walked past a group of teenagers, seeming walking towards New 52 as well, they all stopped and gave her looks of surprise and fear. A few even moved out of her way. Noticing this, Rachel looked back, smiled her best 'Harley Quinn' smile, and gave a little wave at a stocky boy with sticky-up hair and huge glasses. He didn't wave back.

Only half a mile from New 52 now, Rachel began walking slower, hoping against hope that her date was sick with the flu. Or, better yet, robbed and left for dead outside a gang hangout. Upon seeing the line to get into New 52, she knew she was out of luck because who in their right mind would want to miss a comic con about their own city. Jesus, you'd have to be crazy to miss this! This would probably be as big as the premier to Batman vs. Superman.

Interrupting her thoughts came the sound of Lady Gaga's Poker Face, her ringtone and life as a song. Reaching for her phone while continuously walking to the crowd of people waiting to go in, Rachel pressed the talk button and opened the FaceTime with Clarity. "Hey sexy!" Clarity exclaimed soon after the talk button was pushed.

The loud music echoing through her phone and through the gilded gold doors made hearing Clarity very strenuous, but Rachel managed to scream into her phone, "Same back at ya!" Clarity smiled as she pushed a piece of strawberry red hair out of her face.

"Thanks! Where are you!? Your date is waiting for you!"

'Date!?' Rachel thought as she forced a full smile onto her face. "I'm outside New 52. I just got here. The ride was hell and I had to walk, like, two mi-"

"Oh My Jesus! You're Harley Quinn?! Damn girl! You look just like her! All you gotta do is get yourself a man and change your accent and you're golden!" Clarity yammered as Rachel lifted the phone up and down her body for Clarity to see her sketcher heels, red and blue short-shorts, and 'Daddy's Lil. Monster' t-shirt.

Stepping into line behind a 'Katana' girl, Rachel replied with a flip of her pink tipped pigtail, "Ya mean I have ta talk like this the whole night?" Clarity began to laugh and laugh as Rachel gazed at her bat like mask with purple costume and yellow gloves. "Wait, wait, wait. Your _Batgirl?!_" Rachel asked with a mock- surprised tone of voice as Clarity almost dropped her phone from laughing too hard.

"Yeah. I was going to be Bat_woman_. But you and I both know how frickin' awesome Batgirl is. So… I bought the costume and here we are," Clarity explained as she began walking inside one of the rooms in New 52. "I think I look like her a **ton**!"

Rachel waved her hand dismissively at her phone and said in her 'Harley Quinn' accent, "Sorry She-Bat. But Mista J doesn't like _**Bats**_. We can't be friends anymore. Seeya!" As Clarity began howling with laughter, Rachel clicked the off button on her phone and began snickering into her palm. She then looked up, a grin still on her face, and realized that half the line had moved up ahead of her.

A man in a Superman shirt behind her cleared his throat and said gruffly, "Let's move it along, girlie." Rachel turned around and gave the man a apologetic smile.

"Sorry!" she mumbled to him as she walked quickly towards the open doors of New 52, now only 4 people away. Pulling at her blue tipped pigtail, Rachel glanced at the bouncer at the front door. He was a **big **man, with a black tank top and big brown eyebrows that looked like caterpillars. His face also seemed to be suffering from a… ravenous infection of red worts that looked like they would explode at any moment.

Suppressing a shudder, Rachel moved forward one step as the girl in front her took her turn in front of the bouncer. She held out something, probably an I.D, for the bouncer to see and he jerked his thumb to the door with a nod. The girl left the line and disappeared into the darkness of New 52 as Rachel reached the front of the line. "Long night, huh?" Rachel said as she handed him her I.D. "Must be a hard night for tips."

"You have no idea," the bouncer replied coolly as he nodded towards the door.

Rachel smiled back at him and asked, "Your face alright? It looks kinda... bloated?" She gestured her hand around her own face to describe the red, grossness of his face.

He shrugged his shoulders and said like it was no big deal, "I'll be fine. I think I'm just allergic to that girl's lipstick." Rachel widened her eyes and gave him a knowing smile as she turned and finally entered New 52.

Almost as soon as she stepped inside, her already fried senses figuratively exploded. The music was, first of all, was extremely loud. So loud in fact that Rachel kept her earplugs in just to lessen some of the noise that surrounded her. Moving through the crowd was nearly impossible and more then once she stepped on someone's foot or hit someone in the butt. But nobody noticed her little accidents because they were all too busy dancing to Ke$ha's Tik Tok and didn't care if she almost fell on top of them. Laughter and voices filled the air to add even more noise to the already shaking-in-its-foundation New 52.

Noticing a bar through the throngs of people, Rachel shimmied her way through the groups of party goers, most only paying attention to the man or woman they were grinding against. Ripping her way through the beaded curtain that lead to the bar, Rachel stumbled into the neon-lighted room. The noise was significantly less in here then on the dance floor and so were the people. Other then a girl in a Harley Quinn costume and a Riddler dressed bartender, no one was there. It was like a bomb had been dropped and it had killed everyone at the party.

Walking quickly over to the bar and sliding onto one of the stools surrounding it, Rachel looked at the bartender and said, "I'll have a margarita. After all, it is Monday." The girl next to her snickered into her palm as the bartender asked, "What kind do you want? We have strawberry…"

"No need to continue. I'm sold," Rachel interrupted with a sly smile as she curled one of her pigtails around her finger. As the bartender turned to fix her drink, the girl in the Harley Quinn costume leaned over to where Rachel was sitting, her hand resting gently on the counter.

"Strawberry is my favorite too," the girl said in a _perfect _Harley Quinn accent while Rachel turned to look at her. "The berries on top are **THE **best part of the whole drink! Just so red an' juicy!"

Rachel nodded her head in consideration. "You have obviously never tried the Blackberry Thyme margarita. Holy mother, it's like... heaven in your mouth," Rachel said as she turned her body to face the girl, the girl's face cocked in a confused way.

"Well, I don't really drink that much anyway. Just with my Puddin' when he's havin' a good night." The girl looked at Rachel and smiled wide, showing perfect, white teeth. "What would a 'blackberry' margarita even look like? Blackberries already look like somethin' a animal might leave behind. Is the drink black or purplie?"

Before Rachel could answer the question pitched to her, the bartender dropped her red strawberry drink in front of her and two wine glasses filled with white white in front of the girl. Smiling at him, Rachel put the straw to her lips and sucked up a bit of the delicious drink. While she fished out one of the strawberries with her straw, she noticed another beaded curtain with the noise of men and women grumbling and a few occasional cheers coming from within. And, as though it were a gift from heaven, an ATM machine stood bolted to the wall next to the entrance.

Waving the bartender over to her, Rachel asked with a nod of her head towards the machine, "Why is there an ATM machine over there?"

"The room beyond that is The Smoke Room, which, on busy nights like this, is also used for poker along with a strip club," the bartender replied as he cleaned one of the cups in his sink. "Smells like shit, but a few have left there with a few millions. The ATM machine is used to get money for the game or to put away your money for latter uses. Or they could be a good civilian and pay it forward to me and buy a few drinks. At least, that's why I think it should be there."

Eyes widening as she again looked at the magical box in the corner, Rachel handed her credit card to the bartender for him to swipe in his little keypad. "Wha'? You a gambler too?" the girl asked when she saw a sly smile creep onto Rachel's face.

"Who isn't?" Rachel replied with a raised eyebrow and a smile. Taking the card from the bartender's outstretched hand, Rachel pulled out her phone and said with a look of pride, "What? You don't? Too scared I'll whip your ass?"

The girl give Rachel a oh-really? look and replied, "I let my Puddin' play to win the money. I get the drinks and provide entertainment," the Harley Girl replied with a smirk, raising her eyebrows at the drinks in front of her. "He's in there right now, kickin' everyone's ass. You can try and beat him. But trust me Panda Gal, you ain't gonna."

Frowning at the nickname, Rachel texted to Clarity:

Rachel: Going in the Smoke Room. And gonna win a ton of mola! ;-)

Clarity: As if. The guy in there is really good.

Rachel: He can just try and beat me!

Clarity: *sigh* Just let me know when your done spending your money. Ed might be in there. He's in a Joker costume.

Rachel: The Boyfriend? Ed?

Clarity: Be nice. I didn't name him.

Looking up from her phone, Rachel grabbed her purse and began speed walking towards the Magic Machine. "Just out of curiosity, what's your name,Tina Thyme? You look familiar," the girl in the Harley Quinn costume called from behind, stopping Rachel dead in her tracks.

Turning around to give the girl a Are-You-For-Real? look, she found instead that the girl was looking at her in a suspicious, almost angry, way. Seeing that the mood had officially turned in a bad direction, Rachel answered with a bit of hesitation, "You're probably thinking of my sister, but my name is Rachel Greens. We're twins."

The girl stared back at her for the longest time, the frown never lifting from her pretty, heart-shaped mouth. Finally, after one of the longest staring contests of all time, she replaced the frown with a wide smile and said, "So sorry. I totally thought ya were Sicily. It is Sicily, right? She didn't tell me, so I can only guess what her name was." Pausing for a moment, she scrunched up her nose in concentration. "Yeah! It WAS Sicily! _Silly_ Sicily that is, but still, same thing! She was always so **serious**."

Giving the girl one last nervous smile, Rachel turned on her heel and speed walked to the ATM machine, wondering all the way how SHE knew who Sicily is. After all, Sicily worked at Arkham Asylum. She barely saw anyone _ever_, except for Christmas and sometimes not even then. Glancing back at the girl in the Harley Quinn costume, who was happily talking and gesturing to the bartender with her whole body, Rachel shook off the feeling that something was wrong and walked through the beaded curtains to the Smoke Room, a handful of cash in her hand.


	2. Harley Quinn

Click,click,click,click,click. Clank. Click,click,click,click,click. Clank. The fan at the top of the cell whirled over and over again, the occasional clicks and few clanks giving some relief from the emptiness around her. Sometimes the fan would even creak as though it would fall on her, that thought sending a giddy feeling of excitement through her.

Laying on her back on the stiff, creaky bed, Harley stared at the spinning blades of the fan, completely entranced by the spinning machine that hung above her. Her eyes followed the fan's blades as her mouth formed a tiny O in childlike wonder. She had, in fact, been staring at this fan for several hours, and she wasn't planning on moving anytime soon.

It wasn't until a new sound appeared in the emptiness that Harley looked away from the fan, licking her lips to remove the peeling skin before it painted her lips with skarlet blood. The sound of clicking heels on the tiled floor of a certain asylum. Shouts of anger and clangs of things being thrown against cell walls confirmed her suspicions and Harley smiled as she sat up in her bed.

Standing from her bed and walking to the bullet proof glass, she placed her hand on the glass and called in the direction of the noise, " Sicily? Is that you? 'Cause it sure sounds like ya welcoming committee is!" No more than ten seconds later, a lean figure with a green dress and blond hair appeared in front of a smiling Harley, her mouth formed into a tight line. "Ya look good! Ya stopped eatin' those nasty, green 'WeightWatcher' shakes or whateva the hell they were called, I see," Harley continued as Dr. Greens walked to and sat in the chair beside Harley's cell.

Glancing up at the leering Harley Quinn, Sicily clicked her pen and said, "Let's try to keep this on track, Harleen. The quicker you answer the questions, the quicker I can leave and not bother you for another 2 weeks."

"My name ain't Harleen. It's Harley. HARLEY!" Harley said with wave of her finger at Sicily. "Silly Sicily is **always **getting it wrong. But who can blame her? It's **such **a hard name to remember."

Knowing that this greatly annoyed Sicily, Harley walked over to where she was sitting and plopped into a crossed leg position. "Let's begin, yes?" Sicily said as Harley leaned back on her hands in a reclining position. "What have you been doing today? Anything besides," She read from her notes, "'Staring at the creaky fan and thinking about… Your Puddin'?'"

"Well. It's not like there's anything ta do done here. If I had a swing and maybe a squirrel, I could have lots of fun. But nooooooo. I can't do anything besides think of my Puddin' and stare at the goddamn fan," Harley retorted back to Sicily as she crossed her arms and gave her a pouted smile.

"The purpose of you being in The Isolation Chamber is for you not to think of The Joker. Which leads me to my next question," Sicily replied with a cold glare that made Harley giggle in amusement. "Has The Joker contacted you at all while you have been in the Asylum? No notes, videos, or photos? No attempts at freeing you?"

The smile on Harley's vanished because she had been wondering where he was herself. She had rescued **him** more times than she could count. **SO** **WHERE WAS HE?! **Annoyed at the situation, Harley snapped back, "That ain't none of ya business, Dr. GreenGrass!"

Sicily smiled back at her and said, "Oh, but it **is** my business. I want you to be 'normal' as quick as possible, and, by contacting The Joker, your treatment has to be extended for another...," Sicily counted on her fingers, "6 months, at least." Harley gave her a glassy look as the Doctor continued, "I want what's best for you, Harleen. I know there is still some good in there somewhere. But..."

"But nothin'," Harley sneered in her direction as she rapped her hand on the glass. "If ya didn't already know, I'm kinda stuck behind these bulletproof glass doors in **Arkham Asylum**. There ain't nothin' normal 'bout me anymore and I like it that way." Harley leaned in close to Sicily, who was scribbling down notes like a madwoman, and began to giggle. It grew into something more sinister and evil and soon, she was howling so loud that the glass began to shake. "Ya know what always makes me smile?" Harley questioned Sicily, who looked up from her notes to see a smiling Harley leering down above her. "Yes I was talkin' to ya, Silly Sicily. Or maybe it should be _Stupid_ Sicily. That would fit ya as well as a baseball glove!" She snickered into her hand at her known pun. "But the answer is… fresh meat. Ya started, like what, two weeks ago?"

"Three weeks ago, though I hardly see how that is appropriate," Sicily countered as she returned Harley's stare, her muddy green eyes making Harley smile widely. "Let's leave the questions to me, Harleen. That isn't in your nature to ask them anyway. Nor is it your place."

"Well. That hurts, Doctor. Ya know, we ain't that different." Crouching down so that her face was right next to the startled Dr. Greens, Harley smiled and breathed onto the glass, leaving it fogged up in her wake. "Do ya want me to tell ya why?" Placing her hand on the glass and widening her eyes, she whispered, "We got our degrees in psychology exactly 9 years ago. We began working at **Arkham** 'cause we wanted to write a book, a little, harmless book, on one of the more _unstable_ patients. We look alike too, don't ya see?" Pulling at a strand of her dyed hair, Harley traced the outline of the shocked doctor's pulled back, blond hair with her finger. "I'm a blond too. Used ta be tan like you, but people change for the things they love. And I **know** that you love someone who lives here _tooooooo_!"

"**That is enough out of you, Quinzel!**" Sicily snapped as she slammed her pen against her notebook, Harley laughing maniacally all the while. The mood thickening quickly, Sicily rose from her seat and put her face right next to Harley's. "He's NOT coming for you!" Sicily hissed to Harley as she locked eyes with the former villainess icy blue orbs. Harley's nerves began running wildly from anger to sadness to regret as Sicily continued, "You better get that out of your stupid head before you get yourself and everyone you love killed!"

Harley, overcome with anger, slammed her fist against the glass and screamed, "**MISTA J. LOVES ME! HE WILL COME AND SAVE ME AND THEN WE'LL MAKE YA LIFE A LIVING HELL!**" Watching the Doctor turn from the glass with a mask of anger on her face, Harley kicked the glass and screamed out, "Ya want to know the biggest way we are different? Hey! **Do ya?**"

Harley saw Sicily stop abruptly and look back over to the glass. "Inlighten me," Sicily hissed as she walked slowly back over to where Harley was standing.

"I'm gonna leave Arkham alive."

Seeing that she had shaken the wide eyed Sicily, Harley went down onto her knees and whispered in her ear, "That I promise."

A loud hiss and a flash of red lights confirmed something was happening before the asylum began shaking itself.

Warning! Warning! All units report to sector 10! 5 patients are out and in the asylum! I repeat, Poison Ivy, Scarecrow, Joker, Cheetah, and Killer Croc have escaped containment and are in the asylum!

The message echoed around both of them as noises from other cells also filled the void of the hallway. Harley smiled wickedly as the lights flickered and then vanished, plunging the room into total darkness. Hearing Sicily yelp in surprise, Harley backed farther into her cell and slide under her cell bed. Ripping one of the springs from under her bed, she strung it back and aimed for the dark silhouette in front the bleeping red lights.

Warning! Warning! Patient 42540 has gained control of cell containment in sector 9! Report to sector 9 all available units! Backup generator coming online…

The lights began flickering back on as Harley unleashed her spring right at the young doctor's head. A squeak was heard as the spring imbedded itself into glass right at her head, the glass beginning to crack from the force of the spring. For a few tense seconds, no noise was heard. The glass then completely shattered onto the floor, one of the shards sliding over to Harley's hiding place. She grasped it as Sicily backed away quickly from the glass, saying all the while, "Oh shit. Where the hell did she go?" Silence was followed until the running of heels was heard down the hall. "Dr. Arkham? This is Dr. Greens! Patient 99312 has escaped her cell! I don't know where she went, but she couldn't have gotten far…" Sicily explained frantically as her voice became fainter and fainter, the blaring red lights still beeping over her voice.

Warning! Warning! Backup generator failing! Security breach in sector 8! Patients 99312 and 40331 have escaped containment! I repeat, Harley Quinn and Catwoman have escaped containment!

"Well. Looks like the cat's out of the bag!" Harley snickered quietly as she crept out from under the bed, the piece of glass still clutched firmly in her hand. "But speakin' of which. Selina must be on the prowl around here somewhere… I better scoot before she finds me and makes me pay her back." Biting her tongue, Harley slipped from under the bed and quickly walked to the gap where the wall of glass once stood. Trying to be as quiet as possible, she ignored the burning sensation erupting on her unprotected feet as skarlet paint blossomed around her with each step.

Stepping down from the cell doorway, the cold air from the hallway enveloped her like a soggy blanket, chilling her down to her bones. Harley walked into the middle of the hallway, a grin etched on her face, as she looked down the way Dr. Greens had run of to. '_Poor Stupid Sicily. She must be scared out of her head,'_ Harley thought as she began walking towards the door that led to the Front Gates, the same direction in which Sicily went. '_If I find ya, I promise I'll keep ya nice and safe...'_ Harley let the giggle that she had been holding in rip from her throat, the noise bouncing off walls and filling the emptiness with her manic laughter.

Warning! Warning! Backup generator faile…

The lights in the hallway around her flickered and died, along with any other message the loudspeaker had to say. The red sirens surrounding the hallway were the only source of light to be see and they didn't illuminate much. Glancing at the red lights that flickered above her, Harley walked over to the wall and ran her fingers over the inscription under the pulsing light. Emergency Fire Hatchet. Break Glass with care.

Punching the glass as hard as she could, Harley smashed the little box that contained the firehouse axe. She ran her finger over the double-sided blades as skarlet paint also painted her fingers in a eerily bright red. Giving it a few test swings, Harley smiled and flung it as hard as she could at one of the neighboring cells. It sliced cleanly through the glass, the inmate inside screaming and dropping the floor.

"Well. That was dramatic," a voice behind Harley purred in a velvety voice.

Harley smiled and walked to fetch her axe, kicking aside the cowering inmate to reach the already bloody axe. "Dramatic, but so worth it! An' now, I got a axe to slice and dice with," Harley retorted back as she pulled the axe from the wall. Hefting it in her hand and judging how far The Cat was by her voice, Harley asked, "Mind tellin' me how ya got out of that cellblock of yours, Miss. Cellophane?"

Hearing something rustle from the ceiling, Harley brushed a bit of the blood off the head of the axe and positioned it so it would hit just the bridge of the wall and roof. "A paper clip was involved," Selina replied as the rustling from the roof grew closer to the wall. "But by the way you're holding that axe, I'm guessing you don't want to talk about my escape methods. It looks like you want to tango."

Harley laughed as she hefted the axe over her shoulder, the blood dripping onto her back. "Didn't Bats teach ya it's not good ta assume? That's gonna get ya **killed** someday, Pretty Kitty…," Harley retorted as a smile spread onto her face. Gripping the handle with both hands, Harley ripped it from her back and flung it as hard as she could at Selina, who was hanging from a beam on the ceiling. She twisted her body so the axe just missed her head, though it didn't save her arm from a deep gash that erupted in a river of blood. A few stray hairs from Selina's pretty head fell to the floor as Harley sighed loudly. "That didn't go at all like I wanted," Harley whined as Selina jumped to the floor in front of her, her cat like eyes tracing Harley's every movement.

"That was a bitchy move, Quinn," Selina said in a purr as she circled Harley, tracing her fingers around Harley's neck. "And personally, I find it a little threatening…" Wrapping her hands around Harley's neck and squeezing tightly, she whispered into Harley's ear, "I think we both know what that means."

Trying to remove Selina's claws before they ripped her throat open, Harley hacked out a laugh and asked, "You're not still mad 'bout the mola, are ya Selina?"

"Nah. This is for trying to behead me with an axe," Selina said with a smile as she dug her claws into Harley's neck. Harley slyly reached for Selina's whip with slow motions, trying not to attract unwanted attention. It didn't work. "_Really_ though," Selina sighed as she unhooked her whip from her belt and threw it to the opposite wall, so Harley couldn't use it. That small movement, though, was all Harley needed to bump Selina and flip her onto the ground.

Giving Selina one last kick before backflipping down the hallway, Harley waved and called, "Thanks for playin', Pussy Cat!" Selina stood, smiled, and gave Harley the finger. Harley smiled and called back, "I really like ya CAT suit!"

Selina raised her hands to her mouth and called, "This SO isn't over!"

Breaking her smile into an even wider smile back, she broke the hallway's glass doors and called back, "I think it is, _SeeYa_lina!" With that, Harley stepped through the broken glass and followed the sounds of screams and laughter to find her beloved Clown Prince of Crime.


	3. Ed Burnstable

The car zoomed quickly zoomed through the streets of Gotham, the driver anxious enough as it is. Now he had to go and pick up Clarity and all of her junk too? Ed thought he recalled her driving a Ferrari the last time he had seen her, but here she was texting him that she needed a ride and now. Figuring that running over pedestrians was a bad idea, Ed screeched down one of the side streets to avoid the normal-not-_too_-annoying-traffic and the very-annoying-overpopulation-foot-traffic that the man on the radio kept saying was, "...going back to LexCorp and farther…" His phone buzzed again in the seat next him as Clarity texted him again, replying to his text about texting and driving not being safe. Seeing a red light ahead, Ed slowed and, keeping one hand on the steering wheel, reached quickly across the seat to grab his phone. With his free hand, he quickly read and texted Clarity:

Clarity: What do you mean you're still driving?! Your date is in, like, ten minutes!

Ed: Excuse me for having a life. I was trying to get ready. It doesn't exactly take 5 minutes to put on Joker makeup.

Clarity: *Ugggg*

Ed: I'm literally 3 minutes away!

Clarity: ... 'Kay. Rachel's waiting for you, just saying.

Ed: Don't remind me.

Clarity: Did you just DISS Rachel?! Not cool, man.

Ed: I don't even know her!

Clarity: Shut up and drive. Just, shut up and drive.

The light had turned green long before Ed had looked up from his phone. Looking in the rearview mirror and seeing the long line of cars behind him, he muttered a few choice words, quickly hit the accelerator and feverishly looked for a street marked Parliament. Soon, but not soon enough, the sign stating the street was one he wanted came into view. Stopping to let another elderly lady cross the street (Does every senior in the city need groceries tonight?), Ed turned on his radio and listened in on the news.

Breaking news! LexCorp has announced it's partnership with representatives of Arkham Asylum! When asked about this partnership, Lex Luthor simply said, "It is for the protection the citizens of Gotham and for the inmates themselves. The more security we add, the more we overlook the simple things that a hospital needs. LexCorp has added new security in the now sound reacted locks and bullet proof glass to prevent anymore escapes through forced methods. This also allows Arkham workers to focus on the inmates themselves." Many people are wondering if the partnership will last as Lex Luthor was just released from Arkham 2 months ago, but both Dr. Arkham and Lex Luthor seem to have high hopes for the partnership.

"That's a bunch of B.S," Ed muttered as he turned onto Parliament street, not going nearly as fast as before. "897 Parliament Street, 897 Parliament Street," he mumbled under his breath as his gaze drifted from house to house, searching for the correct number. It wasn't the number he found, though. He found Clarity jumping in her driveway, all of her stuff piled around her.

"Ed! Oh My Jesus! You finally came!" Clarity called as Ed drove to the side of the road and parked. "I totally thought you were shot and killed on the side of the expressway or something."

Ed stepped out of his car and gave Clarity a Are-You-Serious? look as he replied, "I didn't take the expressway, you doof and seriously? I have a date to keep, remember?" He eyed all of her stuff warily. "We can't fit all of that in my car."

"Sure we can and it will!"

"No. We can't. It won't. Trust me."

"We could put stuff on the roof."

"Ha! Nice one."

"We could put _YOU_ on the roof."

"Good luck with that."

"I could go on the roof."

"Nothing is going on the roof!"

Before Clarity could retort back, Ed plucked one of her bags from her towering pile of shit and placed it in the nearest trash can. "Do you mind, asshole? That's my stuff you just put in that trash can!" Clarity hollered as she walked briskly over to the trash can and pulled out her stuff. Huffing from the weight of her bag, she dropped it and gave Ed a look that a toddler might use. "This is my shoe bag," Clarity said as she pointed at her bag. "You break my babies, I break you. I'm dead serious, Ed! Don't give me that look!"

"Those are all for **shoes**?!" Ed gasped as he picked up another bag to judge it's weight. "What's in here? Makeup?"

Snatching the bag from him and placing it back on the ground, Clarity hissed with a glint in her eyes, "I'm not that shallow, smart ass." Brushing her hair back away from her face and repositioning herself in her high heeled boots, Clarity glanced over at her pile of stuff and muttered, "Maybe I could lose the change of clothes. And the microphone. And my art supplies. And I guess if I have to, I could leave the-" Pausing the force the words out of her mouth, Clarity continued, "mmmmyyyy _shoes_."

Smiling at her in a anxious way, Ed turned on his heel and called back as he walked to his car, "Clarity. Please just choose the bag you want to bring. We both need to meet Rachel in…" He looked at his phone and with a nervous nod, he choked out, "6 minutes and counting."

"Say no more," Clarity replied as she sashayed towards Ed, plucking up one of the smaller bags in her manicured yellow colored hands. "I'll take this one." Walking to the passenger side of the car, Clarity opened the door and sat in her seat as Ed sat in his. In less than 7 seconds, they were speeding away from Clarity's house at a speed that would make a cop frown and pull them over.

Stopping at the end of the street, Clarity took out her phone as Ed asked, "Can you look up the directions to New 52?"

Her fingers moving at a lightening fast pace, Clarity replied with annoyance in her voice, "In a sec. I'm texting Rachel to see where she is." Hearing the pinging noise that meant that her text had been sent, Ed turned right onto Pearl Street. "Alrighty right right," Clarity said as the map popped up on her phone, Ed's head turned slightly to see the actual map. "Turn right onto Union road in 6 miles."

"That road is backed up with traffic," Ed intervened as they approached Union road. Sure enough, traffic stretched across the road with angry drivers cussing and laying on their horns. "Turn on the radio and see which streets don't have any traffic." Seeing Clarity's disgruntled face, Ed quickly added with a smile, "Please."

"Yeah that's right," Clarity grumbled as she pressed the button that turned on the radio and turned the knob to find the right station. "Just cause you look like The Joker doesn't mean you have to act like-"

"Wait. Go back. To News Radio 1.800," Ed interrupted as he turned onto a side street named Winslow. Rolling her eyes, Clarity turned the knob back to clicks to find the News Radio 1.800.

-the police believe it was the new security systems that caused the explosion, though no evidence was found that they were the cause. Commissioner Gordon comments on case, "People need to remain inside of their houses until the criminals are caught and brought back to Arkham. Anywhere abouts of the criminals will be gladly accepted, no questions asked. Our job is to find and capture these criminals before they can do harm to our city or themselves as quickly and painlessly as possible." If you see or hear anything that might lead to the capture of The Joker, Harley Quinn, and/or the Enchantress, call the police hotline 911. In other news, police have Arkham under lockdown and have contained most of the criminals that had escaped containment. Any outside visitation is prohibited with the exception of the Supers on site. Any other visitation or escape attempts will end in immediate execution by the-

Clarity switched the channel to the traffic as goosebumps were beginning to form on Ed's arms. They drove with only the traffic report to fill the silence. Hearing that route 99 was almost completely vacant, Ed turned off of Winslow street and onto Picnic ave, a short distance from route 99. "That's scary, right?" Clarity mumbled as she glanced out the window. Ed nodded slowly. They both knew the dangers of driving at dusk with 3 super villains on the loose. 3 permanent residents at Arkham were somewhere in Gotham.

Clearing his throat as he merged onto route 99, Ed said in a steady voice, "If they are smart, they would have left Gotham by now."

Giving him a look of fear, Clarity looked down at her phone as Rachel texted her back. Ed looked out his window as Clarity's phone lite up his car and saw far off the looming carcass of the dark and tortured Arkham Asylum. "Clare. Look," Ed whispered as he looked back at the highway, suddenly realizing why nobody was on it.

Clarity glanced up, looked at the building and hissed, "The sooner we get to New 52, the better." Driving on the highway for 5 more minutes, Ed turned off of the highway onto Lineup Road, the street across from Pattern street, the street that held New 52. Looking over at Ed, Clarity said with a little sass in her voice, "Rachel says that she going by cab. Poor girl. She doesn't get to travel in style like **us**." She poked her finger into one of the holes in her seat.

Ed smiled as he retorted back, "Not all of us can just throw money around like you, Clare." Clarity laughed loudly as Ed turned onto Pattern street. Upon seeing the traffic though, Ed's eyes widened.

"Holy shitballs," Clarity breathed when she saw the traffic. "Can you turn around and maybe park on Lineup road?"

"Not without killing a few people on the sidewalks," Ed sighed as he removed his hands from the steering wheel and dropped them in his lap. "We should just park here in the street and walk."

Ed unbuckled his seatbelt and moved to open the door as Clarity called out, "Wait! You can just park here?!"

Ed nodded and said, "The guy in front of us did and we're not moving as long as he's there. So why the hell not?" Stepping out of his car along with Clarity and slamming the door behind him, Ed locked his car and began walking.

Pocketing his keys, he heard Clarity click along beside him. "You left your phone in the car," Clarity said as she walked ahead of him and stopped. "Are you going to get it?"

Looking back at the car, Ed jogged back and unlocked the door. Grabbing his phone, Ed smiled at Clarity and said, "Thanks."

"You're welcome, dumbass," Clarity replied with a I-told-you smile. Her phone buzzed in her hand, probably something from Rachel. Looping Clarity's elbow with his, Ed dragged her along as she shouted, "I need to text Rachel, Ed! Stop pulling me! Jesus, you have strong arms."

Walking like this for a little while, Ed eventually unlooped his arm from Clarity's and stared at all the people seemingly heading to New 52. From his spot ¼ of a mile away from New 52, he could hear the music floating out of the club. As soon as Bang Bang began playing, Clarity whooped in the in the air and shouted, "This is **MY** song!" Giving her a sideways look, Ed finally saw the bright flashing sign that screamed New 52! and the long line of people that waited to go in. Looking back at Clarity, Ed headed for the end of the line as he pulled out his I.D for later. "Oh no no no no no," Clarity said with a cheeky smile as she pulled Ed around by his shoulder. "We go in now."

Ed gave her a confused look until he saw her pull out two V.I.P passes from one of her many Batgirl pouches. "Wow, Clare," Ed breathed as he plucked one of the passes from her hand. "I gotta hand it to you. You really pulled through." Clarity smiled as they walked to the front of the line as many protests coming from the people waiting in line were flung in their direction. Upon reaching the front, Clarity walked in front of Ed and handed her pass to the bouncer. Ed became a little nervous upon seeing the height of the man, but all he did was look at his card and jerk his thumb to the door. He wanted to thank the man and ask how he was doing, but the red lipstick kiss on his face seemed to be swelling and growing rashy, so Ed just moved along.

Entering New 52 wasn't very exciting, but all that was saved for the inside. To be honest, he was a bit overwhelmed by all the sounds, noises, and people. And, to top it off, he couldn't see Clarity anywhere. Ed walked farther into the room and, while avoiding people jumping and dancing, whipped out his phone and texted Clarity:

Ed: Where are you?

No answer came to Ed's phone like it normally did. Visions of Clarity dying by the hands of The Joker came to mind, but Ed calmed his mind and reasoned that Clarity got distracted by something shiny. As per usual. That's what he thought of as Poker Face blared through the gigantic speakers that covered the walls. Feeling as though his head were exploding, Ed made his way away from the music and towards a beaded curtain that lead to another room. Pushing aside the curtains, Ed walked into a completely deserted bar except for a bartender dressed as The Riddler. The bartender looked up from cleaning the counter and said, "You look like a man who could use a drink."

Ed looked over at him as a loud whoop and lots of shouting came from another beaded curtain along with the dull buzzing of **Starships **from behind that same curtain. That made him jump. A laugh followed soon after. It was dulled by all of the other noises, but it's tone still gave Ed a feeling of discomfort. It sounded… _evil_. "Boy," the bartender tried again as Ed walked slowly towards the counter. "Do you want somethin' or not?"

"No. But I was wondering if you have seen my friend. She has red hair and is Batgirl," Ed replied as he rested his hands on the still damp counter.

The bartender gave his hands a dirty look as he answered with a snipped voice, " You don't say? Naw. I haven't see 'er. But if you're not gonna buy anything, please leave." Ed lifted his hands from the counter as the bartender viciously whipped his hand prints away.

"Okay. Thanks, anyway," Ed muttered as he headed towards the other beaded curtain, the bartender staring holes into his head. As Ed pushed aside the beads that lead to the other side, a girl with red and blue tipped pigtails bumped into him. She stumbled and Ed whipped out his hand and caught her arm before she hit the ground.

She twisted around and slapped him full in the face. "Hands off the merchandise, ya prickly perv!" she shouted as Ed stumbled back and let go of her arm. She landed on the ground and flipped back up in one graceful movement as Ed landed with a thump on the floor. She gripped his collar and hoisted him to his feet as Ed struggled against her painfully strong hold. Her eyes widened in shock as she took a look at his face. "Puddin'?" she whispered horsely as she dropped a choking Ed back onto the ground with a thump. "I'm so so sorry! I didn't see ya there… hey. Ya not my Puddin'!"

Seeing that this girl might have hostile intentions, Ed looked up and said with a small smile, "I'm...um... not who you're looking for?" Gazing at her Harley Quinn costume, he quickly added, "I like your costume. Very sexy."

Placing a hand on her hips and reaching her other hand down to help Ed up, The Harley Girl smirked at him and snickered, "The perv has manners. That ain't somethin' ya see everyday." Taking her hand, a jolt of electricity coursed through Ed's body, making his dyed green hair stand on end. The Harley Girl doubled over with laughter as Ed stood up and gave the girl a nasty look.

"Ha ha **HA**. Ha," Ed said with no emotion in his voice as The Harley Girl leaned on his shoulder to catch herself from falling onto the floor from laughter. "You're ironic. Truly. You are."

As he spun on his heel to get away from The Harley Girl, she grasped his shoulder and said with a pout in her voice, "Aw. Come on, funbags! If ya dressed like Mista J, ya better get a sense of humor and fast!" She twisted his body around so that he was now facing her again, a wide smile creasing her face as she whispered in his ear, "Ya do got the look down, though. Not as handsome as my Puddin', but still enough ta make a girl like me swoon!"

Pushing The Harley Girl away from him, Ed gave the girl a what-the-fuck-are-you-talking-about? look as she giggled at his annoyed face. "Look. Obviously, I'm not the person you're looking for. So, can you please move away from the doorway so I can go in?" Ed asked with an aggravated tone in his voice as he tried to move The Harley Girl.

She stayed planted in her position as she asked with seductive smile, "How do ya know you're not lookin' for me?"

She pushed him back into the bar slowly as he asked back with a roll of his eyes, "Is your name Rachel?"

She stopped pushing him and answered with a frown, "My name's Harley."

Stepping around her with a smirk on his face, Ed replied with sarcasm in his voice and a nod of his head, "Sure it is."

Before Ed could reach the beaded curtain, "Harley" grasped his arm and whipped him around so he his chest was touching hers. Feeling a little uncomfortable with the sudden embrace, he tried to wiggle free of her grasp as she asked, "Ya gabble too? My Puddin' does and if ya anything like him, ya must too."

Ed slide one of his hands free as he muttered to "Harley", "I'm more into Poker. I'm better at that too, if I do say so myself."

"Harley" brought her face to Ed's face level and whispered next to his lips, "He is too." The bleep from Ed's phone interrupted what would have an extremely awkward makeout session. She looked at his front pants pocket, which was lite up from his phone screen. "That's ya girlfriend, isn't it?" "Harley" asked as she reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. "Damn it! It's locked! Why are they always **locked**!? **Everything** is these days! That dog on ya screen though is just the **fluffiest**, **flappiest**, **floppiest** thing I've ever seen!" Snatching the phone out of her hand, Ed unlocked his phone and read Clarity's text:

Clarity: Sorry. I was talking to Rachel on a face chat. She is super excited to meet you!

"Well. Who wouldn't be excited ta meet this hunk of meat right here!" "Harley" exclaimed over Ed's shoulder, her hand hitting Ed's back for emphasis. Jerking his phone away from "Harley", Ed quickly texted Clarity back as "Harley" giggled silently into her palm:

Ed: Sure she is. Where are you?

Clarity: Somewhere… I'm not entirely sure myself.

Ed: *agh*

"Seems like ya friend is lost," "Harley" said as she walked in front of Ed to look at the text. They stood there in silence for a few seconds until "Harley" clapped her hands together and exclaimed, "Woah! Why don't ya meet ya friend in The Smoke Room! That's kinda in the middle of everything and it's hard ta get lost in there!"

Ed gave "Harley" a shut-up-I'm-thinking look. "Maybe. I'll ask Clare to tell Rachel I'm going that room or whatever."

Ed: I'm going into The Smoke Room. If Rachel wants to hang, tell her I'm there.

Clarity: ...'K.

Ed began walking towards the beaded curtains until he realized he was missing a person. "Are you coming?" Ed asked as he turned to look at "Harley", who was sitting at the bar with her elbows on the counter.

"I'm comin'. I just need a migratia. It's Monday. Plus, my Puddin' likes ta drink white wine while he plays," "Harley" replied with a wide smile as she beckoned the bartender over to her. "Ya go and play. Maybe ya'll even beat my Puddin' at Poker." She winked and laughed loudly after she said that, her laugh echoing off the walls and vibrating the chairs. It sounded eerily familiar, but Ed couldn't place it as he turned and pushed aside the beads to The Smoke Room as a weird mashup of Tik Tok and Hey Mama echoed in through the speakers of the dance floor and The Smoke Room.


	4. The Joker

The office was different from the last time he had seen it. First of all, there were more buttons. All sorts of buttons. Big buttons, little buttons, purple buttons, glowing buttons, and even a Warning! DO NOT PRESS THIS BUTTON! button. It was intriguing really, how buttons there were in that tiny, teeny cube of an office. In fact, it would probably take weeks, months, _years _to count all of the flippin' buttons. He ran his fingers over the surface of the buttons and shivered in glee at smoothness of them. "If one only had the time to press them all," The Joker breathed silently as he toyed with the knob of the big, red Do Not Press Me! button.

Across from him was a small microphone used for broadcasting news across the whole of the asylum with a flip of a switch. So of course he had to flip that switch. "Dearest inhabitants and animals of Arkham Asylum!" The Joker hissed into the microphone as he flipped a switch on the computer in front of him. "Unfortunately, the entire asylum is in lockdown mode because some of the more _**dangerous **_of the criminals have taken over the asylum! Ya hear that, Arkham? Nobody is leaving WITHOUT **MY** permission!" The screen almost immediately lit up, showing a password screen. Upon seeing the screen, The Joker pressed one of the smaller buttons in front of him and typed in the code that Luthor had given him for the exact purpose of breaking through the password barriers.

"For the safety of all of the more _delicate_ delinquents out there, please remain inside the **safety **of your cell. The part that comes next may become a bit **messy**," he continued as a display of all the cameras within the asylum jumped onto the screen, along with a little folder that read Prisoner Holding Locks. A smile spread widely across his face as he tapped that folder. Two boxes filled the screen, one reading Unlock all and Lock all. "Now… for the rest of you. My kind of people… Go take a walk." The Joker pressed the Unlock all box as all the locks collectively unlocked throughout Arkham. Screams and cries of war soared in through the computer in front of him as The Joker unleashed a long, awful laugh into the microphone, echoing throughout the asylum.

Continuing to laugh in glee and excitement, The Joker pressed the purple button, the conserving energy button, and the lights all over Arkham flickered and died. The only light to be seen were the red lights that were placed in the hallway as a safety necessity.

As the button was pushed, sounds of stomping feet could be heard from outside the security office door, The Joker's laugh cutting off short at the sound of Badges. "Get the battering ram!" one man called outside the door as something banged softly against the door.

"To Hell with that!" another shouted, a woman this time. "The whole Asylum is going to Hell! We have to deal with the level ten patients!"

"Oh nonononono," The Joker called sinisterly as he walked slowly to the door, the sounds coming from the computer bouncing all around the room. "Why don't you come in? _I_ don't bite… but my green, scaly friend does. Why don't you show the nice Badges those pearly whites, Croci?"

Almost as he had planned it on purpose, a sharp hiss filled the hallway outside the door, causing the shadows the Badges cast under the doorway to move backwards slightly. "Killer Croc," one of them murmured as The Joker back tracked to his computer to look at the footage outside of the hallway. No way in Hell was he going to go out there, _especially_ with Killer Croc right outside of the door. "Sta- Stay back or we will open fire!" the man called at Killer Croc as his gun clicked into position.

The heavy steps that came from the gigantic amphibian were accompanied by deep, gurgling sound that slightly resembled laughter. "DO YOU REALLY THINK I AM AFRAID OF YOUR LITTLE GUNS? THE BULLETS WOULD BOUNCE RIGHT OFF OF MY HIDE SUCH AS ROCKS WOULD!" Killer Croc boomed as he moved closer to The Badges.

He was a mere 3 feet away from the door and Badges when a shot rang around them. The killer croc pounced on the two Badges, his big body blocking the view from the camera right above the door. The Badge screamed in agony as the sound of Croc's teeth crunched right through bone and tissue. The Joker sighed in great annoyance upon not being able to see what was happening outside of the door and hissed through clenched teeth, "_Of course_. Oh, of _course_ Croci decides right then and **there** to step right in **front of my view**! A stupid lizard, that's what he is. Nothing more, nothing less. Just a STUPID LIZARD small enough to step on! And that's what I'll do if Croci doesn't move away from THE FUCKING VIDEO CAMERA! I'll _**step **_on his green, scaly ass and feed what's left of him to Harley's _**stupid, barking hyenas**_! That'll shut them up for sure!"

More gunfire filled the hallway and burned his ears from the sound as Killer Croc's shadow spit out what was left of one of the Badges and advanced onto the other one. Moving his body away from the camera, The Joker got a good and hard look at the carcass of the female officer while her organs created a flowerish pattern of death on the floor around her. The body was leaning against the door and it slid to the floor. The metallic smell of blood filled the security office as well as blood dripped under the door in another crimson blossom of death. "So many flowers today, hm?" The Joker muttered under his breath as he headed back towards the door, intending on opening the door and finding the exit ASAP. "Let's see. It's not **my** birthday, it's not Christmas. Is it _Arkham's_ anniversary? Oh God. Don't tell me it's _**MY **_anniversary? Well, that would explain the flowers." The Joker quickly grabbed the door handle and ripped the door open, just as The Badge flew from Croc's hands into the security office and nearly missed his head.

Seeing the Badge was still trying to stand and fight the monster crocodile, Killer Croc charged the fallen victim only to be stopped by The Joker at the last second. "Ah,ah,ah, my favorite green, scaly thing," The Joker said as he walked up to the Badge and got a good look at him. His name was Jake Bark and he only started working a week ago. The Joker remembered him. He was the one who screwed the Greens girl, the one Harley told him about. Yeah. He **HATED** that guy. Screw that guy! The Joker looked up from Jake and said with a smile to Killer Croc behind him, "I think I know what the _flowers_ are for."

"AND THAT WOULD BE?" Killer Croc hissed menacingly as his footsteps shook the floor while he walked towards him and The Badge.

The Joker looked back at the Jake with the same smile and dusted off the shoulder of his coat with two quick strokes as he hoisted him to his feet. Straightening his own shirt, he took two steps back and began to clap slowly for Jake, who just watched with a weary and defeated look on his face. "You don't know Croci? Why, Jake here has just achieved what his comrade could not! He _**just got into the security office**_! With me in it! Quite an achievement that needs recognition!" The Joker said with excitement as he continued to clap along as he began to laugh maniacally.

Killer Croc walked up beside Jake and clasped his arms to his sides, the force being put upon them made him cringe in agony as The Joker continued his laughter. Abruptly it stopped, along with the clapping, and The Joker walked quickly towards the young guard, the gleam of hate and death still in his eyes even though he was smiling. "And ya know what, Jake?" The Joker asked anxiously while he brought his hand to the side of Jake's thigh, right where his gun sat. "I think you should get a gift… You **do** like _**flowers**_, right?"

With that, The Joker removed the gun from it's holster and he shot Jake in the knee, sending a cry of anguish from the Badge as blood spouted from his leg onto The Joker. Killer Croc dropped Jake onto the floor as The Joker shot him again and again in his knee, the hole becoming bigger and bigger each time the trigger was pulled. Standing over the fallen Badge, The Joker looked him in the eye and shot him in the hand, a bloody circle appearing soon after. Proceeding to shot his other hand and knee, he leaned over Jake placed the gun lightly on his head and hissed, "Ya know I really **hate it** when people are _ungrateful _for the gifts I give them. Not so much as a thank you?"

Seeing that Jake was a stubborn fellow who probably wasn't going to say Thank You, The Joker removed his smile and placed the gun onto Jake's throat. "I'm waiting…" he hissed into Jake's ear, clicking the revolver into place while awaiting the Badge's response.

Jake moved his head to look The Joker in the eye and whispered hoarsely, "G- Go to H-"

A gunshot filled the room before he got to finish.

Silence followed.

Leaning over Jake's now dead body, The Joker dipped to of his fingers into the hole in Jake's neck and created a flower out of the blood that came out. "There," The Joker said under his breath to nobody in particular as he stood up and straightened out his shirt. "The bouquet is complete with this lovely _**Jewel**_ Weed."

"_Jewel weed_? That just sounds like a bad joke," a new voice near the door behind him snarked, causing a smile to erupt on The Joker's face. "But then again, everything that comes out of your mouth is a bad joke."

Turning to look in the direction of the voice, The Joker found instead of a face, two golden, tiger eyes glowing nastily at him leaning against the doorway into the Security Office. Pushing past Killer Croc and walking up to the glowing eyes and soft shadow of a female face, The Joker grasped her face and asked with a faint tease, "_Spooooots_. Is that you?"

Shoving his hand away from her face, Cheetah stepped into the Security Office as she snapped back, "Don't call me that, clown. Unless, of course, you want to be faceless again."

She looked over at Killer Croc warily as The Joker responded with a quick laugh, "Oh calm down, Spots! We're all **friends **here, aren't we?" He paused as he walked up to her again and placed both hands firmly on her shoulders. "Speaking of which, _**why are you here?**_"

Shrugging off his hands violently, Cheetah walked quickly to the security computer and clicked onto the camera in the sector 10 hallway. Instead of footage of the hallway, a message popped up onto the screen that read Footage Unavailable. "Shit," The Joker heard Cheetah hiss as she clicked onto the sector 9 footage cameras.

Walking up behind Cheetah in his loud and destructive fashion, Killer Croc growled, "THE HELL ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?"

No reaction came from Cheetah as she replied with a feral growl in her voice, "It seems that our _friend _forgot to make sure that Lil. Miss Witch was still safely chained in her cell." She fast forward the footage on sector 9's camera and, almost like a ghost would in an 80's horror movie, the figure of The Enchantress drifted lazily down the hallway, her head swaying slowly back and forth while her green eyes glowed menacingly against the glare of the camera.

The Joker walked up behind her and stared at the pattern the witchly beaut was looking about her. It hit him that she was looking for someone. But who?

Forcefully pushing Cheetah out of the way, resulting with a growl from the spotted fenile, The Joker placed his fingers on the screen and zoomed in on the Enchantress as she slowly floated off camera, her trail of dark magic still apparent even in the blaring lights of the asylum. It was then a plan began forming in his mind, a plan that would involve all the juicy magic that witch had bottled up inside her. And judging by the direction she was heading, they would meet right next the exits of the asylum. It was perfect!

Smiling from the cleverness of his plan, he turned back around to face his fellow villains and said loudly, his emerald eyes glittering with hate, "Buckle up, Boys! It's gonna be one **helluva** ride!"

No sooner had those words escaped his mouth, an explosion erupted below the office, throwing all three criminals against the wall and shattering the screen of the main computer. Glass rained down on them as the emergency sirens, activated only through Arkham's office, blared on around them. Recovering from the blast much faster than the rest, The Joker quickly stood up and bolted from his place against the wall, his bare feet creating bloody flowers as he went. "The hell are you going!" he heard Cheetah roar from behind him as he inspected the gun he had only just 4 minutes ago opened onto Jake the Badge.


End file.
